With the emergence of multi-touch tablets like iPad, iPhone, Android etc, we see a paradigm shift in 3D technology We experience new opportunities in the 3D modeling sectors. Sketchup is a master tool for 3D modeling but there is not a simple viewer for skp models on Android, iPad and iPhone.

If you think from a perspective of a sketchup user you may want to make a SU model & import the SKP file as interactive 3D models and view on the iPad.

It will be very useful for explaining projects to clients. Export the model from your pc as a google earth compatible model then view using cubits from the app store.

It will be very useful for verifying dimension on site survey, plug in photos from the camera to support the dimension data. Designers can be benefitted by getting ideas about concepts &spaces and demonstrate concepts to the customers. The users can also get the ability to rotate/orbit/pan/zoom/exploding view in a 3D model as the same way as google earth works.

Sketchup for tablet application will facilitate landscape designing to a great extent. The landscape designers can create a G3 model by applying sketchup to lay out terrain models. Import the model to tablets and walk through the models containing all the data literally before you.

Trimble has to make some huge alterations to sketchup for applying it on the tablets application. Write a viewer is not difficult but it has to be applied devoid of OpenGL. Besides sketchup hinges on hover state for numerous inferencing operations with the several drawing and manipulation tools. Touch sensors in tablets does not allow for a hover state.

There are lots of 3rd party applications which facilitate a user to can bring their SketchUp models to their preferred smartphone and tablet and showcase their design.

SightSpace 3D

In recent years Limitless Computing Inc.®, a provider of 3D mobile Augmented Reality, released SightSpace 3D for Android customers. It is the only mobile Augmented Reality aplication for Google SketchUp™. It is accessible for the Android Market @r $14.99.

The users can easily track a SketchUp model with single finger, panning with two, and pinching to zoom in and out. The sketchup users can easily load models into tablets with the incorporation of Google 3D Warehouse.

The users will be able to export any geo-located sketchUp model to a KMZ file, placed on an iPad 2 or iPhone 4, and glimpse in real-time & real place to have a visual look of the space. This can be applied for for observing construction projects, urban planning, kitchen designs etc.

Babel3D

Babel3D contains a supporting application for 3D visualization on mobile devices known as Glovius, accessible on both iOS and Android based devices as well as tablets. The users will get the ability to covert sketchup files into various other 3D file formats. The users can open outsized 3D model files and downloads the models to the iPad being viewed offline. The models can be rotated, zoom and moved. One can get the applications for free on the Apple App Store and in the Android Market.

The application is compatible with SketchUp, 3DS, OBJ, STEP, IGES, JT, and other professional CAD formats like SolidWorks, Catia, Pro/E, Inventor, and NX.

The application supports display of annotations (right now, only for JT), and section planes alongside the standard three ortho-normal directions. The users get the ability to interact with the model applying the touch interface - pinch to zoom, single finger drag to rotate, two finger drag to pan, and double tap on the screen to reset the model. The user will also be able to save and email snapshots from within the app.

NaviCad

There is another application accessible on the iPhone and the iPad which facilitate users to search and view numerous Sketchup 3D models and navigate in 3D. It is the sole application to glance google 3D warehouse on the iPhone.

The NaviCad provides the following benefits for iPhone users :-

Run off with rotating the model

Pinching zooms in/out

With some models, double-tapping on a section of the model showing up the section and making it the focus of rotation.

The IN/OUT button available with the navigation bar switch the users between being inside and outside the model applicable for models containing an inside similar to stadiums and arenas. If one exists in inside and contains the iPhone 3GS, while shifting the device around, it operates similar to a window to the model since the app controls together the phone's accelerometer and compass functionality. By applying NaviCAD the users can renders models generated with Google Building Maker.

Cubits

It can be termed as an iOS Viewer for SketchUp models and available with App Store. Cubits comes up with pleasant camera implementation and a swift renderer. Confine clutter-free screenshots of your models to the camera roll. By utilizing Cubits the users can view and save 3D models from Google 3D warehouse on the iPhone or iPad. You can also zoom, rotate in 3D. It's very useful for presenting mock-ups to the clients.

The users will be able to put KMZ files exported from SketchUp, synchronize them from iTunes. KMZ files can also be sent through email as attachment. The receiver can open his email account and access the attachment on his iPad. Just select the attachment and it will inquire whether you like to open in Cubits. Select Cubits and the program will be opened with the image on the screen.

Export your project as a KMZ, Send it by email, as a attachment, to an email account that you can access on your iPad. When you get the attachment just select it and it will ask if you want to open in Cubits select Cubits. Note it may give more than one choice. Selecting Cubits will then open the program with your image on the screen 1 finger to rotate, two scroll two fingers to pinch to enlarge/reduce image.

The SKP users can download and view models being uploaded to Google 3D Warehouse from SketchUp or Building Maker.

Walkabout3d Mobile

It is a newly launched user-friendly application for the iPhone facilitating SketchUp users to create and view the scenes of their designs directly on an iPhone and allocate the view of their design ideas to their clients.

The users can freely download WalkAbout3d Mobile in the iPhone App Store and is well-matched with the Trial version of WalkAbout3d.

The users can just click on the "Generate Panorama" button to produce the panoramic views while walk through a SketchUp design and categorize and illustrate each one to be demonstrated within the iPhone app.

The users will be capable of discovering the accurate location of each panoramic view on a map view within the app by geo-referencing a SketchUp model within SketchUp. All location details will be placed into Walkabout3d mechanically.

Allocation of scenes is performed by uploading the panorama project to webspace as per your requirement, and a "user account system" is available on the WalkAbout3d website providing users an simple way to get and distribute their WalkAbout3d Mobile projects from.

3DeeWarehouse

3DeeWarehouse is a crucial 3D application for the iPhone. It facilitate users to download and exhibit 3D models from Google’s 3D Warehouse on your iPhone, and to glimpse them in 3D – interweaved for the glasses-free 3DeeShell, or like an anaglyph. Enfold your iPhone 3G in the Wazabee 3DeeShell (Patent Pending), slide in the lens, and experience amazingly realistic 3D models. Its special lens conveys glasses-free 3Dee, right before your eyes. The 3DeeShell, allows users to virtually view any stereoscopic 3D object in their iPhone in accurate colour and with detail.

SimLab 3D OBJ Viewer

Now PDF file can be read with the iPad. One can utilize Simlab plugin for SU which facilitate users to generate a PDF file with embeded 3D model which is viewed, rotated, etc, directly in the PDF. Export sketchup models as .obj file. Now apply SimLab 3D OBJ Viewer which allows the user to view 3D OBJ (Wavefront) files (*.obj). SimLab 3D OBJ Viewer supports importing 3D Geometry, material colors, and texture. The users can also pan and zoom the imported model. Now transfer the obj file to ipad through itunes. Open application & select your .obj file and view.

3DVIA Mobile

It is a mobile 3D model and content sharing application for Apple iPhone and iPad which facilitates users to allocate and view their 3d SKP models on an Apple iPhone and iPad in a fully interactive 3D viewer 3DVIA is compatible with 30 file formats including. 3DXML, .dae (COLLADA), .3ds, .obj, IGES, STEP and .kmz. After the model being exported to 3DVIA, it is totally unconcerned on what OS it was modeled. One can all the time open an skp file that was generated on Windows, on Mac (and vice versa).

SketchBook® Pro

SketchBook® Pro from Autodesk is a professional-grade paint and drawing application that offers a total set of sketching & painting tools through a modernized and insightful user interface intended absolutely for the iPad experience. The application is very useful for professional artists, illustrators, and designers to draw, sketch and paint professionally with natural sketching tools. The tools are secreted in a respiratory of widget known as Lagoon. SketchBook Pro is the first ever application to break the iOS/OS X barrier with its syncing capabilities.